The Loch Gruinart is a solid whisky. On the nose a little spirity, young. On the pallet an finish it shines. It has a little bit of sourness, but in a good way an the aftertaste is lovely. It stays on the shelf for sure.
Thanks gents - think you've convinced me on this one. They released it at £35 initially, missed it unfortunately. Still have fond memories of when they used to stock Machir Bay 5 or so years ago (I think), then decided to stop stocking it, and then discounted it to £25 - I must have visited 10 M&S stores trying to track them down and bought 3 bottles.
That's an absolute bargain for Machir Bay! Not surprised you tracked a few down at that price. For £35, this would be a no brainer. Still, I don't think you'll be disappointed should you find yourself in M&S
I have not been in close contact with M&S's product development teams & buyers in over a decade but I doubt they have changed the basics much. The always hired experts. They rarely went to the market with a question to see what came back unless it was an existing supplier & even then they would have a specific brief. They would often search for the best they could find, see who made it & approach them. I was rare for it to be the other way around. With the whisky I assume they went with the idea to find what was the best they could make in the quantity they needed & this maker said yes. They also were never afraid not to make much money if the thing that was made was good enough. With every other supermarket they start with a price point subtract the margin they want & then tell the supplier make an item that costs so & so. M&S it was the other way around, make the best you can & we will work out how much we can charge.
The Loch Gruinart is a solid whisky. On the nose a little spirity, young. On the pallet an finish it shines. It has a little bit of sourness, but in a good way an the aftertaste is lovely. It stays on the shelf for sure.
Thanks gents - think you've convinced me on this one. They released it at £35 initially, missed it unfortunately. Still have fond memories of when they used to stock Machir Bay 5 or so years ago (I think), then decided to stop stocking it, and then discounted it to £25 - I must have visited 10 M&S stores trying to track them down and bought 3 bottles.
That's an absolute bargain for Machir Bay! Not surprised you tracked a few down at that price. For £35, this would be a no brainer. Still, I don't think you'll be disappointed should you find yourself in M&S
I have not been in close contact with M&S's product development teams & buyers in over a decade but I doubt they have changed the basics much. The always hired experts. They rarely went to the market with a question to see what came back unless it was an existing supplier & even then they would have a specific brief. They would often search for the best they could find, see who made it & approach them. I was rare for it to be the other way around. With the whisky I assume they went with the idea to find what was the best they could make in the quantity they needed & this maker said yes. They also were never afraid not to make much money if the thing that was made was good enough. With every other supermarket they start with a price point subtract the margin they want & then tell the supplier make an item that costs so & so. M&S it was the other way around, make the best you can & we will work out how much we can charge.